The Legacy
by Hobbit
Summary: Ten years after the Crime Wave, led by Team Rocket, Galactic, Magma, and Aqua, was put down by Samuel Oak and the Global Police, it is time for the next generation to step up. To Rule the world, to save it, or to destroy it all completely.
1. Prologue: The Gamble Gambit

Day -1  
Saffron City-Johto  
Missingno Casino backroom

The room was dark. The four had always liked it that way. None of them had ever liked looking at each other for a decade or two, but the oath that they had sworn to each other had brought them all together.

The Criminal. The Hero. The Submariner. The Landsman.

All those years ago they had started out as friends and allies. But their lives had taken different turns, and each of them were now each others' arch foes. But yet the bonds of friendship that they had forged in the early years still brought them together once more.

For one, final purpose.

The Criminal broke the silence in the near-dark room. "Well, ante up Gentlemen," he said, looking around the poker table, and studying his opponents carefully. "We ain't got all day." He tossed some of his poker chips into the middle of the table.

The Hero smiled wryly, glanced at his cards, and tossed a handful of chips into the middle of the table. "It's really something, isn't it? We've come all this way, and under any other circumstances we'd be duking it out right now."

The Submariner laughed, tossing her hair over one shoulder. "you'd get your girlfriend to do your dirty work for you, buddy. That old crone you used to date always did like to fight your battles." The chinkle of plastic coins hitting each other and the green felt of the table seemed to echo through the small, dim room.

The Landsman said nothing, but studied his companions carefully before adding his ante to the pot.

"Who says we're not going to duke it out when this is all said and done?" the Criminal asked. "After all, none of us is going to allow any of the others to win. Land, Sea, jail, or victory. That's all that awaits us." There was silence at the table for a long while. Then the Criminal said quietly. "Dealer takes two."

The Hero smiled wryly. "True, outside of this room I won't rest until I stop each and every one of you." He laughed and slid three cards across the table to the Criminal. "But I have to admit, it's good seeing you guys again."

The Submariner grinned, her white teeth flashing in the near darkness. "That it is, old friend. But in the scheme of things all we're really doing is playing the game that brought us together on a much higher level."

"What, the roleplaying game my brother let me have?" the Landsman asked, frowning as he slid four cards to the Criminal. "You gave me crap, man. Give me better cards."

The Submariner laughed. "Yeah, you moron. Roleplaying games." She reached over and slapped the Landsman upside the head. "Poker, you moron!" She settled back into her chair, enjoying the Landsman glaring at her. "Besides," she simpered. "He's always given us crap. We're sissies for wanting to protect the environment. Yadda yadda yadda." she grinned and stuck her tongue out at The Criminal teasingly.

The Hero shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose we are all, in our own way, trying to save the world."

The Criminal grinned. "Exactly. The easiest way to save the world is to rule it and slap the people who are messing it up like a newborn Mankey." The group chuckled. "But on to business. We've all tried to change the world. We've all failed."

The Submariner snorted. "Some of us tried more than others." The Landsman laughed at that.

"And Some of you have failed more than others," The Hero said, grinning at each of the others at the table in turn.

The Criminal laughed. "Yeah, so I have more losses on my me already. You'd be ten years back in the backlog, at least. But I have made a lot more attempts than the rest of you lot." He grinned. "But I was trying to bring us around to why we were meeting." The Criminal studied his cards for a moment, then tossed chips into the middle of the table.

"Our generation's dried up," The Hero picked up where the Criminal left off. "We've discussed it at length, and we all know that we're too old to try to take over the world again. But that doesn't mean that the legacy has to end."

The Criminal smirked as the other players consulted their cards, and tossed their chips into the pot. "That's why we've all been raising up our prodigies. Shame Cyrus couldn't make it. We tried to warn him that messing with interdimensional forces would end up badly. Shame he ended up stuck on the other side of some dimension. It would have been fun to have had him actually been a part of this."

"His grandson will be." The Submariner pointed out. "Even though he has no idea who Cyrus was."

The Landsman nodded. "So. I suppose it's time for us to name our Champions."

The Criminal nodded. "Yeah, I suppose it is. Sam, who have you got?"

The Hero stood up, and reached into his wallet. "My Grandson, Gary Oak." He said, grinning and tossing a photograph of himself, Samuel J. Oak, and his grandson down onto the table in front of him.

The Criminal nodded, then turned to the Submariner. "Joan? Who have you got?"

Joan Paula Jones smiled thinly and pulled a card from her hand and placed it on the table. "I have to admit, I was originally going to approach Misty Waterflower, but the little twerp ran away from her gym. She didn't think that she was a good trainer or something."

The Criminal raised his eyebrows as he looked at Joan's choice. "Didn't see that coming," he said, grinning. "Thought you were going with the whole Grandson theme. Condolences about your husband, Joan. Doesn't seem right, dying the way he did."

Joan paused, her face growing blank for a moment. Then she smiled. "Thanks. Really. That means a lot from you, even though I called you a blood-sucking fiend."

The Criminal grinned. "No Problem."

"Doesn't mean that I still don't stand by the whole blood-sucking fiend part" Joan smirked. "I think you'll find that my choice is more than capable."

Samuel Oak grinned. "With parents like those, I do not doubt it one bit." He turned to the Landsman. "Maxie? What about you? Who's the one carrying on your banner?"

"A kid named Richie. Lots of potential. I've been grooming him for this for four years." Maxie replied, pulling a photo of his champion from his coat. The group all turned to The Criminal. "That just leaves you, Giovanni. Who's your pick to succeed your destiny?"

The Mastermind that had spurred the entire group to motion so many years ago leaned back in his chair. "You've all brought something to this group, you know. Sam, you brought your grandson up right and proper. Moral fiber. Cyrus' kid'll have the brains. Joan, your pick's definitely got the spunk. Maxie, your kid's got the training." Giovanni leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers and grinning. "I'm going to break from the tradition you guys have all got going here and not volunteer my son, not that he'd ever agree to it anyway. Thinks he's got something to prove to me."

Giovanni grinned. "you all prepared for this the last ten years, ever since Sam took us all down inside a month. You calculated, you schemed, you prepared your choices well."

Samuel Oak frowned at the gangster. "What are you trying to say, Giovanni? Who's your pick?"

Giovanni grinned. "That's just it. What I'm adding to the group is the unknown. Every one of these kids of yours are gonna be so stuffy about 'oh, upholding the family honor and beating everyone else' and all that other crap you all have been whining about for years. My pick is just in it for the fun of it. Just like I have been this entire time."

Joan narrowed her eyes. "Giovanni, spill."

The man paused, then grinned, pushing all of his chips into the center of the table. The rattling the chips caused made the others jump. In the heat of the moment, the others had forgotten about the game. "You're all concerned about who's going to win this. I don't know about you, but I'm just here to sit back and enjoy the show."

Maxie frowned, then turned away from the giant stack of chips in the middle of the table. "Giovanni. We all told you who our choices were. Now who is your pick?"

Giovanni shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said, I'll just be going along for the ride. I have no idea who my pick is." He grinned and leaned forward again, eyeing his opponents like a cat looking for a meal. "now are you in or are you out of the game?"

Sam cocked his head. "what do you mean you don't know?"

Giovanni grinned. "That," he said. "Is my little secret. You guys going to fold or what? I've got money to win back from Maxie!"


	2. Chapter 1

Day 1495  
Saffron City-Kanto  
Saffron City Fraley Park

Kyle sat on the grass, staring at the pair of eggs in front of him. He hugged his knees to his chest as he waited for them to hatch. It had taken a little while to get into being a Pokémon Breeder, but he had found himself addicted to the lifestyle. There was something special about bringing Pokémon into the world that he enjoyed.

An annoying mewing at his side reminded him of the Pokémon he had brought with him that particular day. Kyle laughed and pulled his Meowth onto his lap. He still didn't know who had given him Mowthy, but the feline Pokémon that wouldn't shut up had been his starter. One day, a Pokéball had showed up on his doorstep literally with his name on it. He hadn't been planning on having a journey, but with a Pokémon of his own, he had felt the siren pull of the Journeying life calling to him.

And so he had went on his journey. He had tried the Gym Challenge, but had stopped after his second badge. It was just so boring. Travel, train, and battle some guy to get a stupid badge to prove your worth. He grinned as the nerd term "E-peen" came to mind.

He knew that he was pretty good, and he didn't need some shiny piece of metal to prove it. It was hilarious how many trainers thought that he was horribly inept simply because he didn't have badges. That meant that he was able to hustle them out of more money than they otherwise would have wagered.

True, he'd never be considered a "Pokémon Master" as far as Pokémon Leagues went, but he didn't need some kind of stupid diploma to tell him that he was a good Pokémon Trainer. All he wanted to do was travel the world and see everything there was to see. So far he'd explored all of Sinnoh and Kanto. These were the last two eggs he had been assigned. After they hatched, he would head up to Ecruteak City and check out the Eevee Octuplets. And the Towers, maybe. But the Eevee girls for sure.

Besides, one of the friends that he had made on his journey had introduced him to breeding Pokémon. While he didn't have the setup to do it himself, he had traveled to Goldenrod City and had been happy to get a job with a breeder as an egg hatcher. It was a nice job, not very hard, and was a good source of cash on his miniature vacation. Sooner or later, he'd get back on the road.

As he absent-mindedly stroked Mowthy, Kyle let his mind wander away from watching the eggs. It had been a long time since he'd been back to Johto. Every year before his journey there used to be a family reunion at the Lake of Rage. He had actually been born during one nineteen years ago. Maybe that was why he had gotten so sick of it so quickly? His family hadn't stopped going, even if he had. They still thought it was the best thing since the invention of the Pokéball.

But maybe this year he would be able to make it to see the annual Magikarp Festival. Yeah, the whole thing was way too corny, but that was what made it fun. Plus his family and extended family were like half the people that went every year. And it was his nineteenth birthday.

Only another week before it started up. Depending on how the eggs went, he might be able to make it. Kyle smiled. It would be good to see his family again. He tried to call them every weekend if he could make it to a video phone, but how many years had it been since he had actually seen—

"My nemesis!" a woman's voice called out. Kyle leaped to his feet, but instantly regretted that when Mowthy dug her claws into his skin to keep herself from falling to the ground. He cradled Mowthy in his arms to calm her down as he turned to the voice that he knew so well.

Kyle sighed and set Mowthy on the ground. "Of COURSE you found me!" he complained, glaring at the red-haired vixen that vexed him. "Five minutes after I got my starter, you found me you moron, and every two or three days after that!" he shouted. "For crying out loud! Why do you follow me around like this?" he demanded.

The girl smiled mysteriously and held her right arm out straight, holding a Pokéball. "I have my reasons," she purred. "Not that the Wonderful Enigma needs a reason!"

Enigma was a girl who, for some reason, had been stalking him his entire journey. He'd tried everything to get her to stop, from bribing her with jewelry to trying to get the Officer Jennies involved. But no. She ALWAYS found him again. She was short, good-looking, and looked like she was about his age. If she hadn't started stalking him while he was on the tail end of his cooties phase, he probably would have asked her out back then.

No matter what she wore, she always looked like she was going to some fancy party. And she definitely knew how to battle, too. For the first two years of his journey, she had repeatedly trounced him when they battled their Pokemon, then laughed weirdly and ran off without taking his money. It was funny back then.

Now it was just annoying.

Especially because he had improved over the four odd years of his journey and was now better than she was. But she was hotter now than she had been when they had first met. For some reason, it seemed like the better that he got, the hotter and hotter she got.

The two continued to glare at each other. Her at him for reasons unknown, Kyle at Enigma because he was annoyed with her. Her mismatched eyes bored into his. Her red eye promised that she would show no mercy, but it was the cool blue eye that seemed to analyze him unemotionally that really freaked him out.

She was going through a leather phase at the moment. Enigma adjusted her black leather jacket without losing eye contact, and smiled like a Skitty circling a Pikachu. Kyle narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation. Her hands were on her hips, the silver bangle bracelets that she seemed to enjoy glinting in the sunlight. Although they were near her custom purple and black Pokéballs, it didn't look like she was going to battle him right away. Still—where was her Wooper? She rarely went anywhere without her Starter Pokémon, and it usually wasn't in a Pokéball when they met up.

"So are you just trying to annoy me to death, or did you actually want something?" Kyle demanded, growing impatient at the stare-off, and wanting something to happen.

Enigma grinned. "Just a word of warning about your little get together at the Lake of Rage," she said quietly, suddenly growing serious. "Don't go."

Kyle froze. He had never mentioned anything about the Lake of Rage or his family reunions there every year during his journey. To anyone. How had she? His hands curled into fists and he fought the anger that was rising in his throat as he took a step forward, and stabbed a finger towards Enigma. "How do you know about that?" he demanded, struggling to keep his voice calm and level. "That is none of your business!"

Enigma took a half-step back, her face suddenly uncertain. "I-look. This is more involved than you know. You can't let anyone go there. They'll be in terrible danger!"

Kyle felt another rush of anger. "Are you threatening my family?" he demanded, his hands reaching for his Pokéballs.

"Mew's tail, no!" Enigma protested, raising her hands in front of her. "Look, I'm in the position to know some stuff. I-I just wanted to warn you. Something big is going down at the Lake of Rage. I don't know the specifics, but I know that some big players have been making a serious investment."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "What kind of investment?" he demanded. He glanced over his shoulder at the eggs he was supposed to be guarding. They were doing okay so far. And to think that he had been having a good day before this.

Enigma sighed. "Look, I don't know, okay? If I know, I wouldn't be here warning you. I'd be warning the right people."

Kyle stopped, and considered what she said. What if she was telling the truth? What would his family say if he called them up and told them not to go because his stalker thought that something was going to happen? They'd laugh at him. "Why should I believe you?" he demanded.

"Because I'm the daughter of—" Enigma paused, and suddenly fear passed over her face for a split second before she quashed it. Kyle cocked his head at that. That was interesting. "Because I'm in a position to know things."

Kyle shook his head. "Look, this has been much more disturbing than usual. And my patience is more than used up. Now get out of here unless you want me to kick your tail out of town!"

Enigma sighed, and it was almost like he could see her deflate. "Fine," she said, almost dejectedly. "but look, if something big does happen, meet me in Saffron City. I'll be able to help you and your family." She smiled faintly, then turn and ran off.

Kyle blinked.

What did she mean by that?

+++++

Day 1499  
Ecruteak City-Johto  
Eon Café  
10:24 AM

Kyle let out a sigh of relief as he settled down into a booth in the Eon café, home of the famous Eevee Octuplets. The Octuplets were all Eevee fans, but each of them liked a different kind of Eevee. And each of them performed something different as well. And they were about his age.

Although he would never admit it to anyone, they were the reason that he had decided to trave to Johto next. Sinnoh was his home, and Kanto was THE Pokémon League. After he had gotten those out of the way, it made sense to go to a League where there were eight hot trainers who were sisters. Kyle frowned. He remembered that sounding way better before.

Kyle grinned and chuckled to himself. He had a couple hours to kill while he waited for his uncle to show up, then he'd hitch a ride up to the Lake of Rage on one of his uncle's dragons. In the meantime, he could lean back, get a bite to eat for himself, and enjoy the show, secure in the knowledge that his team was resting and getting a bite for themselves at the Pokémon Center.

Kyle relaxed back into the plush booth, and lazily looked up at the stage through half-closed eyes. One of the Eon Sisters was sitting on a stool and singing, her Eevee sitting on her lap. Behind her, two of her sisters were playing musical instruments. One was playing an electric guitar powered by her Jolteon. The other was playing a piano, accompanied by the mellifluous singing of her Glaceon. Together, they were all singing a song from an old music that flowed around the room, bringing a smile to everyone's face. Like in all the pictures he had seen of the place, each of the Eon Sisters, both onstage and taking various positions around the restaurant, were dressed in different colored kimonos.

Kyle closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. It was for moments like this that he was still on his journey. Most trainers probably would have probably brushed past this place in their rush to get to the Ecruteak City Gym.

"Hi!" a cheery voice made him open his eyes to a young woman that looked about his age with shoulder-length black hair, stunning blue yes, and a green Kimono. "My name Mariko, and I'll be your waitress this evening!" The energy she put behind her words were amazing for someone who worked in the service industry. But then, she looked like one of those really bubbly people. "Can I get you anything to start off with?

Kyle couldn't help but smile at the waitress. "My uncle said to try the Wild Rice soup. And I'll take a cup of iced tea with that, too."

Mariko grinned. "Got it." She scribbled down his order on a sheet of paper then tore it off. "Leafeon, order up," she said, holding it down out of Kyle's view. Kyle sat up just in time to see the Eon Sister's Leafeon send a Razor Leaf through the sheet of paper, and into what looked like a dart board near the doors to the kitchen. Mariko grinned at Kyle's astonished expression and moved on to the next table.

Kyle stared at the leaf holding his order in place for several seconds. Another girl, this time with what looked like bleached hair, poked her head out of the kitchen, grabbed his order, and went back into the kitchen. Kyle shook his head. He would never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity people sometimes displayed with their Pokémon's special abilities.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the music envelop him. It was a good day to be alive. And free of stalkers. He cracked open one eye and made a quick sweep of the restaurant just to be sure before settling back into the soft leather seat of his booth.

Yes, sir. It was definitely a good day.

+++++

"Hey kid," Kyle looked up from his peanut butter pie to see a middle-aged man standing next to his booth. "How's the food in this place?"

A grin erupted across Kyle's face as he leapt to his feet and enveloped his uncle John in a hug. "Hey, John!" he exclaimed, grinning. "Long time no see." He stepped back and gestured towardsthe other side of the booth. "Sit on down." Kyle couldn't stop grinning as he slid a menu to his uncle. "I hope you're hungry. The food in this place rocks."

Uncle John paused, concern suddenly appearing on his face. "Wait," he said. "They're on the menu?"

Kyle laughed. "Of course not. It's real food! Who in their right mind would ever eat rocks?"

Uncle John laughed, and let out a sigh of relief. "Kid, you've obviously never been to Plentar. In some of the monasteries, the monks make dishes out of rocks." They both laughed, and Kyle couldn't care less that the entire restaurant was staring at them because of it.

Uncle John had been an explorer just like Kyle was back when Uncle John was still on a Journey. Uncle John had been to countries most trainers passed over because they didn't have Pokémon Leagues, and had more stories to tell than anyone else Kyle knew. He had experimented with both Pokémon Battling and Pokémon Competition, but didn't tie himself down to one or the other if it got in the way of his exploring. Whenever Kyle and Uncle John got together, there was always plenty of laughter.

"So how is everyone?" Kyle asked. "I haven't seen them in a couple years."

Uncle John grinned. "I was going to ask you," he laughed. "I flew in straight from Pewter City. I haven't seen most of them since last year's reunion. I've been prepping for the Sinnoh Contest circuit." Uncle John grinned. "Speaking of Sinnoh. You still want to try rock climbing someday? After the reunion, I'm going to climb Mount Coronet's north face."

Kyle shook his head. "Sorry, but I've already got plans. I'm going to be climbing Mount Silver."

Uncle John raised his eyebrows and whistled lowly. "Wow. That is impressive. I hadn't thought that your team was ready for that yet."

Kyle grinned. "I'm going with Metallica Tours." Uncle John nodded. "Crystal package. Thanks for recommending them, by the way."

Uncle John grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could say anything, the door to the restaurant was kicked open so hard the glass shattered. A dark figure ran in the door, screaming one word. "NEMESIS!!!!"

Kyle closed his eyes and banged his head against the table. "Not now," he groused. "Not now." There was pandemonium in the restaurant as the young woman known as Enigma made her way, almost casually, across the restaurant, her waist-length black hair flying behind her.

Uncle John grinned. "You still have that stalker, I see." He watched Enigma approach, then frowned. "You didn't tell me that she was wearing masks, though."

Kyle looked up from the table towards the chaos that had moments ago been a peaceful restaurant. Enigma was still wearing the leather jacket and pants that she had been wearing when she had intercepted him outside of Goldenrod four days before. But she was also wearing a blue beret perched at a rakish angle and a black mask covering her eyes, as well as gloves matching the color of her beret.

Kyle glanced at his uncle and frowned. "I've never seen her like this before."

Uncle John's face grew suddenly serious and tight-lipped. "I have, Kyle. We need to go with her. Now."

Kyle looked at his Uncle an frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"There's no time to explain," Enigma said curtly. "We have to leave. Now. Before They arrive." She glanced over her shoulder. The Eon Sisters were forming up on the stage. Enigma lookd back at Kyle. "Now, Kyle. Please, trust me!"

Kyle shook his head. "Uh uh. No way. I am not trusting my whacked-out stalker." Suddenly a hand that felt like steel encircled his arm. Kyle looked over and saw that it was Uncle John. "get your hand off of me!" Kyle said angrily, and tried to shake off his uncle's grip, but wasn't able to.

"Kid, now's not the time!" he said. Just as he was saying this, however, eight beams of light appeared, and each deposited a different Eeveelution appeared, surrounding their booth. Uncle John gritted his teeth. "Not now!" he growled under his breath. He looked at Enigma. "How much time do we have?" he demanded.

"Hold it right there!" a female voice demanded. "I don't know what your problem is, but you'll need to take it outside." One of the Eon Sisters approached in a red kimono. "And you!" she pointed at Enigma. "You're going to be paying for that door!"

Enigma made a face, and opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't have the chance. The roof blew up in a shower of flame and dust. The few customers that were still in their seats were bowled over by the force of the blow. For a moment, there was only confusion, dust, and a ringing in their ears.

Then something else entered the fray. Shouts of people coming from the roof. Almost as soon as the explosion had sated its fury, men were rapeling down from the hole made in the roof on ropes that seemed to appear from nowhere.

Kyle shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs as the first of the commandos hit the ground, bringing their guns up to their shoulders with one hand and deploying a squad of Pokémon with the other as they landed. Kyle felt hands grab him roughly and suddenly he was flying through a window. Dimly, he could hear Uncle John shouting something, and then there was blackness.

+++++

Day Unknown  
Location Unknown

Kyle woke up with a yell, the pain in his side bringing him instantly to full consciousness. He tried to sit up, but the pain from his side was too much, and he fell back down onto his bed.

"You're awake." A calm, male voice said. "That's good. I'm sorry for the rough extraction, but it was necessary. If we hadn't extracted you, you'd be in the hands of the Rockettes."

Kyle blinked, and looked in the direction of the voice, but he couldn't see much. Whoever it was was sitting in a corner that was dark. He could make out, however, the distinctive zig-zag tail of a Raichu, and what looked like a Pokémon League baseball cap on top of the speaker's head. "Who are you?" Kyle demanded. "What do you want?" He was suddenly aware of how thirsty he was, and how hungry.

For a few moments, the other person said nothing. Then he spoke. "I want a lot of things, most of them having nothing to do with you. But for now, there's one thing I want you to do. I want you to rest. I want you to recover. And then I want to see if you really are capable of being a Pokémon Master." The voice paused. "Because that's the only thing that's going to be able to get you out of this."

Kyle wanted to keep going—to ask whoever it was more questions, but he was suddenly very sleepy, and despite his struggles, he found himself falling further into the blackness that reached up to reclaim him. Just before he was totally asleep, however, the unknown person stood up and walked towards him, looking down with concerned eyes under his dark, shaggy hair.

"Pull through this, Kyle. We need you." Was the last thing he heard before the dark claimed him.


	3. Chapter 2

Day -2254

Giovanni glared at his former partner, his hands balled into fists. "You betrayed me!" he yelled above the wind whipping over the mountaintop. He slowly raised one finger and pointed it squarely at the betrayer. "For half of my life!" he shouted as the wind picked up strength. "For thirty-seven years we worked together only for you to betray me now!"

The Traitor grinned at Giovanni. "You were the one that wanted to extend your reach to the stars above! That's not what I wanted! Me and my men are leaving now, and you'll never see us again!"

Giovanni started forward, leaning against the wind. "Never!" he roared. "Team Rocket has come too far to give up now!" He pulled one arm close to his mouth and shouted into the microphone on his arm. "Deploy the Mew Drone!"

A split second later, a purplish figure encased in metallic armor popped into existence several feet ahead of Giovanni. With a wave of its hand, the air around the pair was shifted, and there was suddenly no more wind.

The Traitor narrowed his eyes. "Not bad, Old buddy," he said as the force field that kept the wind back was pushed back behind him as well. "But I've got something on my side that you could never have."

Giovanni paused at that, then laughed. "There is nothing on this planet that I cannot have. It will all be mine! I already have power, that some have said, is close to divine. The stars in the sky will shine for me alone!"

The traitor smirked. "That's true, old friend. But who said anything about this world?"

From out of nowhere, a crack in the sky appeared behind the Traitor and his men that quickly expanded into a wide gash of darkness in the sky. From out of the blackness, a piercing, hellish scream boomed, bowling over Giovanni and sent the Drone spinning.

Giovanni ground his teeth as he got to his feet and glared at the Traitor's rapidly receding back. "After him!" he commanded the Drone. The Drone shot forward, but all but two of the traitors were already through, and the gash was rapidly closing. Just before the gash closed completely, Giovanni thought that he glimpsed a pair of red eyes glaring out at him.

Giovanni glared at the two traitors that had stayed behind, and pointed at them. "Take them into custody!" he shouted, and instantly the Drone had them hanging in the air upside down.

Giovanni walked up to the traitors, switching glares from one to the other. "I trusted both of you," he said, shaking his head sadly. "With my life! You were both Adminisrators of the highest order." He glared at the man. "How could all of you betray me like this?"

The man glared back at Giovanni, but didn't say anything. It was the woman traitor who piped up. "Giovanni, your way is not the only way."

Giovanni laughed. "You are right." Giovanni grabbed her face and spoke into her ear. "At least, not yet." Giovanni laughed and let go of the woman. "Your boss may be out of our reach for now, but he won't be forever. He can't go anywhere. He's trapped. It's only a matter of time before we break in and crush him and his feeble band." He turned from the pair and waved a hand dismissively. "Take them away."

A sharp crack sounded as the Drone teleported away, and for a moment the wind returned. But a second later, there was another crack and the wind was once again held at bay.

"Take us back to the base," Giovanni ordered the Drone. The Drone nodded and a half second later they were back in the Team Rocket Regional Base.

Giovanni ignored the others in his party and the Grunts going about their business in the halls and headed straight for his office. He needed a drink. Giovanni sighed and held his hand against his forehead as he walked. The Traitor wasn't supposed to get away like that! He was Giovanni! He OWNED half of Kanto, and the other half was too scared of him to do anything about it. He was going to take over the world!

Team Rocket was unstoppable!

Giovanni let himself into the office and closed the door. He looked out the wide window at the forest that surrounded the base and sighed as he sank into his chair.

It didn't used to be like this. He didn't used to ache in every part of his body after a rough mission. Not like this. Giovanni sighed. How could he not have seen the Betrayal coming? He should have seen it!

There must have been some sign!

Giovanni shook his head as he pulled the bottle of scotch out of a drawer of his desk. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered to himself.

Giovanni stared into his drink, and for the first time in recent decades, allowed the doubts to creep back into his mind.

Day 1500

Location Unknown

The desert stretched on for miles, but the one known to those few who knew of his existence as Oz did not notice. One foot was placed confidently in front of the other, constantly moving forward, a constant reminder of his pledge to himself all those years ago.

"The Rockettes failed, sir," a voice in his ear informed him. Oz grunted and continued moving. The news was unfortunate, but it didn't really matter. It was just a formality. A nod at the rules that had been placed before him.

Oz paused at the top of a sand dune and crouched, a thin smile spread across his cracked lips. The men on the other end of the line were sweating right now, just like he was. The only difference was that he had nothing to be scared of. He had faced the Pokemon Legions of Effeular, had glared into the beak of Ho-oh, and had survived an encounter with Mewtwo himself. What did he have to fear?

Oz closed his eyes and paused, thinking things through. Cronus would be furious, and was probably demanding at that very moment that he be pulled from his solo sojourn. Let him fume. What was he going to do? Quit? Lose the support that had made his efforts thus far so successful?

Oz smiled, his darkly tanned skin moving smoothly over large, rippling muscles. All of his life he had prepared himself. He knew that this would come. The time when all the planning and preparations would come to fruition.

Oz gathered his dusty brown cloak around himself and got to his feet, pushing a lock of his hair from out of his face, letting his cool blue eyes scan the horizon, probing to see what might be. That had always been the difference between himself and Cronus. Cronus was concerned with making what could be into reality. While Oz weaved the tapestries of what was into what would be.

Oz sighed and spoke into the microphone. "Well, we knew this would happen eventually." he said as he got to his feet and resumed his solitary march through the desert. "Were they made by anyone?"

The voice on the other end took a moment to respond. "No sir," the male voice said nervously. "Except for the Winter agents that recovered the Target, sir."

Oz stopped at that, and looked up into the cloudless sky. That was something he wasn't expecting. "Winter agents," he muttered quietly. "Fascinating. This may prove to be fun after all." he grinned. "Call in the nearest chopper and pick me up."

"I thought you were staying out there for another week, sir?" the dispatcher said. "You said that--"

"Never mind what I said," Oz said, the excitement in his voice palpable. "Just get me back. I think I'm going to enjoy the next few days."

Day 1500

Location Unknown

The man in the Pokemon League cap looked down through the one-way mirror into the isolation room where one of the Legacy Children was being held. His brown eyes studied the man lying in the bed.

He was of average height, with a shock of red hair. He had been brought in wearing denim jeans and a T-shirt. The man's eyes narrowed. Who was this?

He had studied this particular Legacy Kid before, of course, but seeing him here was something man pursed his lips and leaned against the one-way mirror. Why had he been chosen to be a Legacy? The reasoning for choosing the other Kids was obvious. But why him? Why Kyle? It didn't make sense.

Not that Cronus' moves were making a whole lot of sense these days. Reports had come in that Cronus had hired a new crony right about the time that he started acting strangely, but there had been no intelligence on who the new person was.

Behind him, the door opened, and the man shifted his gaze slightly to see who was coming in through the reflection. It was the boss.

The man turned and snapped into a salute as Lorelei entered the observation room. "Ma'am," he said. "No change in his condition."

The woman nodded and limped up to the window beside him. "Very well, Carl."

There was silence for a long moment as Lorelei stared down at the new prisoner. Carl knew better than to interrupt her silence. Lorelei was, after all, the military genius that had single-handedly turn the Wars around. But it had certainly cost her.

Not for the first time, Carl studied her. She seemed to be a walking contradictions at times. He had seeen pictures of her before the Wars, and her long, beautiful red hair. Now her hair was mostly a silver that seemed to shimmer whenever it moved, with only a strand of red hair remaining close to her face. Her aging face was now a patchwork of scars, both old and new, capped by the eye patch that covered the place where her left eye had been. She had coped with the loss surprisingly well, and had even risen to it. She was the only person that Carl knew that had an Articuno eye patch.

"Carl, I think that we can trust this kid." She turned to Carl, and grinned slightly, her eye sparkling. "I know that that pretty much goes without saying after the Psy-screen, but it still needed to be said." Lorelei looked down into the isolation room, and spoke softly. "But we need to send Cronus a message. He sent his men into territory protected by us. We've warned him against this."

Lorelei closed her eyes for a moment and thought, then turned, her eye still closed, to Carl. "I want to see five preliminary targets on my desk in an hour," she said, half smiling. "I'll go through them and we'll deploy your squad to hit one of them tomorrow at 0500." She paused. "And take the new kid with you."

Carl frowned. "Ma'am, permission to speak freely?"

Lorelei's eye opened slowly, fixing her steely gaze on him. "Granted," she said darkly, her tone telling him that his had better be good.

"Ma'am, he hasn't trained with us. He could compromise the mission. Permission to leave him behind?"

Lorelei smiled thinly. "If he's going to survive this, he's got to know what's at stake." Her eye narrowed. "Permission denied." Lorelei turned, then paused and looked back at Carl. "I know how passionate you Pallet Town boys can be, kid. I knew your father in the Wars. You're doing a good job living up to his legacy. Just keep on doing what you're doing now, and you'll be fine." and limped out the door, and Carl knew that her mind was already going through the list of targets that he would probably choose from.

Carl sighed and nodded to his electric type in the corner. "Let's go, Raichu. We've got a lot of stuff to go over before we can call it a night."


End file.
